Composition Leaf: The composition leaf comes in little tablets in copper, gold, etc. but flies all over the place when you try to pick it up. Cut a sheet of waxed paper about an inch or so larger than the leaf. Place it on the leaf before you remove from the tablet and rub. The leaf will stick to the waxed paper and not break up into little pieces and fly away. Then place on the object you are leafing (leafing to glued surface), rub the waxed paper again and the leafing will stick to the object but the waxed paper won't. Then burnish leafing with cheesecloth or stiff bristled brush. To patina copper composition leafing, spread salt on surface (unevenly) and then pour apple cider vinegar over it. Let dry. To patina gold composition leaf, splatter with bleach or bunch up a piece of cheesecloth soaked with bleach and dab on randomly. Let dry.

Mary Kay Gentile in Ft. Myers, FL

I had good luck "refinishing" a bad looking stained and sealed bookcase by using shoe polish (the wax type that comes in a round flat tin). I applied the polish with a cloth and a small toothbrush for the hard-to-reach places, let it dry, and buffed it. It really saved the piece. I have since used the polish on raw wood and been happy with the results.

Gail in Richville, NY

STAIN FIX: You might have some success with Homer Formby's Furniture Refinishing products. I re-did most of my window sills in my 'real' house with it....it was messy, but it did remove all the nasty, cheap builder's quality varnish and most of the stain. It does take awhile to do 'right' but I was very pleased with the results.

OKCMinis

STAIN FIX: You stain can "go bad" when exposed to air - the ingredients will separate. Sometimes a good stirring will make it usable again but after a while it's no use. To save your table you could try staining over it with a darker color, or try using gel stain, which sits on top of the wood rather than penetrating. Be sure to stir well before using.

Beth, In A Miniature Manor

Shoe Polish as Stain: Gail, you said you used shoe polish on your furniture. I have used it to stain floor boards in two different houses - one open in the back, and one that closes British-style - and it does give a gorgeous glow to the floors. But - in both instances, the polish fades and has to be redone. Of course, I can't get up as close to the edges the second time around, so it doesn't look nearly as nice. Have you had this problem? Is there a way to seal it?

Dani Rice

Wide (and narrow) Craft Stick Floor Tips: I have used craft sticks for flooring on small projects where you won't see much of the floor even though I have had great success working with them. My tips are:

1. Select the best ones only(save the discards for other uses)...no warped ones or weird grains

2. Glue carefully so as not to get glue on surface if staining, or wipe with a damp cloth to remove excess glue.

3. After gluing, clamp and weight the floor overnight to dry completely (most important step)

4. Sand very well, paint or stain and weight again til dry!

5. Cover with water-based clear gloss or matte topcoat for a beautiful finish and really nice floor.

Roz Weitzman

Several years ago I wanted to finish off my old farmhouse's front porch with slightly warped floorboards.

Aged Porch Floor: I couldn't find anything to suit me,..... by accident I discovered wooden coffee stirring sticks in our local Smart and Final. They come in a box of one thousand. Looking at them I thought they looked too small ( "5/16th by 6"). But I started laying them down in a random pattern (took almost two weeks), and they gave me exactly the look I wanted. When I finished laying them down, I bug juiced the floor, painted it with a dry brush of thinned water base paint (2 coats) and then sanded it lightly, then took an old nearly empty fine point marker ( no good for writing down phone numbers...smile), dabbed on "nails" after lightly dampening the ends of the floorboards with a cotton swab, and got a very realistic worn, warped, old look. I don't see why you couldn't use these same coffee stirrers to create a polished hardwood floor effect. In that case I would lay the floor out on sealed stock cut to the pattern of the room, sand it thoroughly, stain and finish it and lay it in. My grandmothers old hardwood floors were of very narrow oak strips, and I think the stirrers came closest to matching in "scale".

Carol Wagner

Wood Floors: I made wood floors using the wood that was already there.. I marked my lines with a heavy pencil line, then went back over them with an awl. If you want nail holes for joining planks, just punch with a nail set and there you have it. Stain the color you like for floors and varnish. The only drawback is that you can't run electric tape over them, unless you plan to hide with rugs or carpet.

Lisa Lynn

Wood Flooring: I have made my own flooring for several years and I think with great success for almost any environment (don't ask for photos). I glue a 1/16" piece of basswood (generally about 3" wide) to a piece of regular paper or even to plywood. I then stain it and depending on the width of the planks I want, score it with a pencil, ballpoint pen, whatever. I then re-stain, sand, even pound with a small hammer for a distressed look. On the first set of planks I made, I drilled smaller holes and inserted toothpicks but eventually discovered that an equally realistic appearance could be effected by just poking holes and staining again-saved a lot of sanding. This works especially well for parquet flooring - just make the planks narrower and then cut into squares.

Kathy Watkins

Free Siding: Lamp bulb cartons/holders when turned inside out are GREAT for smaller scale siding. They accept paint and stain well.

Kathy Watkins

Tung Oil - Be careful about adding pigments to tung oil. Pure tung oil has a reputation of not curing if too thick! Do a test before using any tung oil you modify. Tung oil varnish is OK because it has dryers in it.

Minwax oil stains - are combination of oil dye and pigment. The pigment is solid particles of color. With evaporation the pigments become too concentrated and can act chunky. Adding mineral spirits to try to thin old stain doesn't work well either. Get new stain. I seldom use this type of product as is on miniatures because the pigments are hard to control in scale work.

Oil Stain - If you let a new can of oil stain sit, you can decant the dye liquid off the top leaving the solid pigments. Using the oil dye liquid works well as a stain in some situations.

Test Everything - on a scrap of wood first, (or the underside, if it's a kit. Refinishing in miniature is not one of my favorite pursuits. My personal favorite for stain is a water stain. I find that an oil based stain is likely to accentuate the grain, which does not always translate well into small scale.)

Pete

Kleenex Stucco: - Separate the layers of sheets of Kleenex and tear them into pieces that are 2-3 inches in size. Paint a small area of your house with white paint. Place a piece of Kleenex in the paint. With plenty of white paint on your brush, gently smush the Kleenex into place.

Continue until your wall is covered with Kleenex. Let dry. Mix a half and half solution of white paint and Mod Podge (Podgy). Paint the entire wall with the solution -- this covers any unpainted spots for an even coat and seals the wall at the same time.

Roz Weitzman in Toronto, CANADA

Lining Walls with Paper: I see mention of using lightweight card stock to line walls. This card stock often has a fairly high acid content. If you are doing a quick and dirty project that is not meant to last a long time no problem. If you are doing a project you hope to pass on over the years then there is a problem. Many photographs and works of art have been destroyed over the years through the use of improper backing when framing. Papers and untreated wood contain acids that over time will bleed into articles they come in contact with. Your local picture framer can offer acid free rag board that could replace the card stock. Needless to say that this problem also exists when papering over plywood that has not been primed. If you want to leave the box for the enjoyment of future generations then it pays to use a little care in the present.

Bill Leimberger

Lining Walls with Paper: Both cardboard or regular mat board are very acidic, and if you use them in your dollhouses and put paper over them they will destroy your wall paper, better to use scraps of acid free mat board, bainbridge alphamat or crescent rag are the most popular at frame shops. Michael's often puts out scrap mat boards including suede mat board that works great for so many things, carpet, peel carefully and it's thin and flexible enough to cover furniture, or make boots, tablecloths, etc. So much better than going through all the work to paper and then having it turn yellow or brittle on you. I was a picture framer for 10 years, I've seen what these items can do.

Kathy in TN

Lining Walls with Paper: Bill warned against using light weight card stock to line walls for wallpapering because the acid content in it might bleed onto the paper or picture. It is my happy opportunity to inform you that there is acid free card stock available at shops which sell rubber stamping and scrap booking supplies. Many craft stores also carry it for the same purposes.

Jeanette in Wauwatosa, WI

Stiff, Cracked and Aged Leather: - I started messing around layering several different washes of dark brown acrylic paint on a piece of fabric. As each layer dried I crumpled it, smoothed it back out and added another. I forgot to keep track of how many washes I actually did. I pulled, stretched and crumpled it some more. Then I started doing thin layers of Modge Podge. I did more crumpling and pulling to keep it supple as each layer dried. I then painted three different shades of turquoise on the fabric - darker to lighter. Then to finish it off added a layer of crackle-effect paint. I switched to a very dark brown for the final coat. It looks in perfect scale because the fabric is thin to start with and the finished product is very supple.

Leslie Peters

Aging Mahogany Shingles: I would try applying some antiquing gel, then wiping it off right away. This can be repeated until you have them toned down to your satisfaction.

Marilyn in IL

1/144 scale: I have built and decorated one house in 1/144 scale. The things you need are very fine tweezers, steady hands and lots of catalogs. For wallpaper I use pieces cut out of a Robinson's Wallpaper Interior catalog. The picture samples a perfect for this scale. I even put in borders and murals. I cut pictures of flooring from one of my many Hobby Builders catalogs. I never throw any out. Another good source for flooring and roofing is the textured paint samples you can get in department and hardware stores. My house has a truly finished look. I went even further and landscape a small piece of wood to place the house on. I didn't glue it down though. I am making another piece of wood with a winter scene using Snow-Tex. The possibilities are endless so go for it. It can be nerve wracking work but what a sense of accomplishment you'll have.

Lorri in Manassas, VA

If I prime both front and back of the siding BEFORE attaching, would white glue and clamping it down with masking tape be alright for attaching the siding?

Very doubtful. The problem is to clamp down the entire length of every seam. If you seal it first, do NOT use a primer that contains water. Using shellac should be ok. If the house is not yet assembled, you can side each wall, then clamp it by stacking up 3 feet of books and magazines on top of it for an hour or two until the glue sets. I do this with a vacuum bag (but you need vacuum pump) and boy does that siding fit tight. The vacuum bag gives the equivalent of parking a car on top of the piece for clamping pressure. If the house is assembled, your best bet is a contact cement (like Quick Grab).

Tom

Aging Mahogany Shingles: Have you ever tried rubbing them with different shades of brown chalk and then wiping it off? I use this method to age a lot of different other things.

Betti in MS